To Build A Home
by Ataraxie
Summary: Four-part story / When all of your friends settle down, marry, have children, it's not abnormal to want to build a family on your own. But what can you do when your lover doesn't seem to want the same? Smut. HG/SS.
1. Part I

_This is a two-parts fanfiction. Like **Don't Give Up On Us**, I wrote it a few weeks ago, but I didn't post it. I spent some time today to fix it, to add things, etc. So here it is. Of course, none of these characters are mine, I just play with them.  
_

_**Warning**: smut ahead. ;)_

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**To Build A Home**

**1/4**

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"Congratulations!"

The whole room exploded in cheers, and hugs and congratulations were in order. Ron ruffled his red hair, an embarrassed smile on his face. He took Lavender's hand in his, and squeezed it gently. The young woman let Molly Weasley give her a hug, before wiping a tear on her cheek.

"Don't cry, darling, it's an amazing thing that you're pregnant!," Ron's mother comforted her, and Lavender nodded quickly.

"Of course, it is, I couldn't be happier, actually. It's just that I'm so emotional these days, I guess that it's all because of the pregnancy," she explained with wet eyes.

Molly gave her a comprehensive smile, before turning to her younger son to take him in her arms.

"Ronald Weasley... I'm sure that you're going to be a wonderful father, trust me," she whispered next to his ear, a proud expression into her eyes.

"Blimey, Ron," George interrupted them in a laughter, "I'd never have thought that you'd become a father before our dear Charlie," he concluded with a wink at his older brother.

The Dragon Tamer shook his head, casually seated a few feet from his other siblings. Ginny went to congratulate Lavender and Ron, and the latter sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Ginny. I know that it wasn't the best moment to announce it to the whole family, with your wedding with Harry in a few days, but..."

"Don't worry, big brother," she said before hugging him. "Actually, I think that it's better that you said it today; I wouldn't be that nice if you'd say it _during_ my wedding."

Standing next to the kitchen, Hermione was looking at the wonderful scene that was taking place right in front of her eyes. She had this disenchanted smile on her lips, and she held on tighter on her cup of hot tea. At twenty-nine-year-old, Ronald Weasley, the man who was her best friend since her schooling years, would be a father in a couple of months. Hermione had noticed the slight bump of Lavender Brown a few weeks ago, but she had kept her mouth shut then; it wasn't her role to announce it to the whole family.

Her eyes were still focused on the happy couple, surrounded by Ron's whole family. Ron and Lavender were hands in hands, as usual, and Hermione noticed how amazing they were together. To be honest, she hadn't been that thrilled by this relationship when they had started dating after the War. Lavender had been attacked by Fenrir Greyback during the Battle of Hogwarts, but, fortunately, she hadn't been bitten by the terrible werewolf. Ron had spent some time to heal her, trying to forget about his brother's death at the same time, and they had found comfort in each other.

And now, ten years later, they were about to become parents.

A few inches from the couple, Harry and Ginny were gravitating around them like one human being, Harry caressing his future wife's back, in a gesture full of love and pride; he was proud to be with this amazing woman who had changed his life since the end of the War, and proud to marry her in less than a week.

Hermione jumped when she felt a hand rested onto her shoulder, and she misguidedly spilled some of her tea on the wooden floor.

"Damn it," she cursed through clenched teeth before taking her wand into her hand and cleaning the mess that she had done. "You scared me, Severus."

The Potions Master stood still next to her. "I am afraid of being late, I'm sorry," he drawled, and Hermione gave him a side glance, noticing that he was looking at the family reunion that was occurring in the middle of the living room.

He didn't utter a single word, as if he was trying to understand what was happening in front of his eyes without asking it to Hermione.

Suddenly, Ron's eyes met Hermione's, and the young woman walked towards him, smiling. She put her cup of tea on the coffee table next to her, and took him into her arms. She sighed, her head buried in Ron's neck. She was truly happy for him, of course. But somehow, seeing him that happy reminded her some things that she didn't want to think about. She then took Lavender into her arms, congratulating both of them for their upcoming child.

"It's kind of... unexpected, isn't it?," Hermione asked, and she noticed that Lavender shook her head.

"Not really, to be honest. We are trying since last year, and... well, it took some time, but we finally did it. I'm in the beginning of my third month," she explained.

"I'm going to calm down with my Auror career," Ron continued. "Lavender needs me at home, and I don't think that travelling through the world while my girlfriend is pregnant is a good idea."

"Girlfriend?," Molly replied to this statement, her eyebrow raised. "Don't you plan to become husband and wife before the child birth?"

Lavender made a face, and squeezed Ron's hand harder in hers. "Well, Molly, I don't really want to marry with a big belly, you know... But," she added when she saw the Weasley's matriarch frowning, "I think that we'll going to have a wedding right after, won't we, Ron?"

Hermione saw Ron becoming red, and he swallowed hard before nodding. "Yeah, of course, it's something that we're going to do, for sure," he said quickly, and Molly's face softened in a second.

When the atmosphere in the living room seemed to calm down a little, Hermione looked at Severus, who was still next to the kitchen, his left arm casually rested on the door frame. His eyes were focused on her, and he gave her a smile. While she headed towards him, Molly's voice resonated through the whole house.

"And what about you, Hermione? Do you and Severus plan to settle down after all these years? If you want my opinion, it's time."

Hermione froze in place, and she noticed that Severus' expression darkened.

"I agree with mum, Hermione," Ron added without noticing his friend's trouble, "I know that we weren't that fond of your relationship in the first place, but you're thirty now, don't you want to have the whole package?," he finished with a naïve smile.

Hermione tried to smile back at them, but it wasn't easy. "Oh, you know, I'm really busy at work right now, I don't think that it's the best moment to think about all of this," she lied. "Moreover, we're all really busy with a child and a future wedding, aren't we?"

"Sure, we are," Severus added suddenly, in his usual baritone tone, the one that he had used during his years as a teacher at Hogwarts. Everybody remained silent, realizing that it wasn't a discussion that Severus or Hermione wanted to have.

Embarrassed and aware that she had been the one that had talked about this in the first place, Molly cleared her throat and made a few glasses of Butterbeer appear on the coffee table.

"Well, well, it's time to celebrate!"

**XxX**

When they Apparated home a few hours later, Hermione and Severus tried to avoid each other as much as possible. Hermione tried to clear her mind by reading a book in their personal library, comfortably seated in the huge sofa that Severus had chosen a few years earlier. To her great surprise, he had good taste when it comes to interior decoration, and she had gladly let him take care of this part of their fitting out. She had never been that fond of these kind of things, to be honest. To Hermione's eyes, the most important was to have a place to stay, a place to work, and a place to sleep; everything else wasn't essential. It has been four years that they were living together, after two years of dating.

Six years prior, Hermione, working as the Junior Minister of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, had asked for Severus Snape's help, who was, at the time, living far from the Wizarding World. But she had managed to make him come back, arguing that they needed him; a lot of potions had been distributed to the Wizards, on bad purpose, and no one knew what to do. Obviously, they needed to fix it, by giving to the poisoned wizards some cure, but no one knew what the cure was.

And Severus Snape had helped them. Severus and Hermione had grown close since then, and they were now in a relationship, or something like that. Hermione sighed, wondering what was the real nature of their relationship. Of course, they were living together, they were having sex together, and all sort of things. But now, four years after having moved together, Hermione didn't know what to thing. Severus was a secrete person, and he had been like that since the beginning of their relationship. Sure, he loved her, as much as she loved him, even if they didn't say it to each other every day; was it necessary, after all?

Hermione loved to wake up next to his body, to kiss him slowly before beginning her day at the Ministry; she loved to cuddle with him in the sofa, even if Severus had been reluctant to do so in the beginning; she loved to see him work in his personal laboratory, to see his soft hands manipulate extremely dangerous ingredients with so much talent that she was almost jealous. _She loved him_.

Their relationship hadn't been easy to swallow by her family, and her friends. Her parents hadn't understood why she was with someone so older than Hermione was, while her friends, along with the whole Weasley's family, had wondered what she had seen in Severus to fall so deeply in love. But it was so obvious to her eyes: Severus was a true gentleman, he cared for her and loved her for what she truly was: a bookworm fond of her job at the Ministry. She had never asked him for more; but now that she wanted more, she didn't know what to do.

Seeing Ron, Lavender, Harry and Ginny so happy to take this next step in their relationship had been a blessing. But Hermione couldn't help but think that she wanted the same, in a way. She wanted the "_whole package_", as Ron had so subtly said it a few hours earlier. Who would have thought that Hermione Granger, thirty-year-old, would have wanted a child with Severus Snape? And not only did she want a child, but she wanted to become his wife, to top if off.

At the beginning of their relationship, Hermione had thought that Severus would have been the first to want a family; she couldn't have been more wrong. Severus seemed to take pleasure in the sort of relationship that they had; they were together, and it seemed to be enough for him, even at forty-nine-year-old.

Hermione froze when she heard the door of the library open, and she turned her attention to the tall man who just entered the room full of books of all sorts; Muggle books, Potions books, History of Magic's ones too. He walked towards her at a slow pace, his black cloak following him in every one of his movement.

"It is late, Hermione," he simply said, stopping a few feet from her.

"I didn't even notice," she explained with a glance at the clock that Severus had put here, to help not to stay so long in the library; he knew how focused Hermione could be while reading a book, and she could spend the night reading, totally forgetting to sleep. It was almost midnight, and Severus smiled at her.

"You never notice...," he said in a low voice. "Come to bed."

"I just want to finish this chapter, and then, I'll come, I promise."

Severus shook his head and went to sit next to her. Hermione moved a little to the left to give him some space, but Severus didn't seem to want space, far from it; he went closer to her and took her in his arms, before putting a chaste kiss on her lips.

"What is that for?," Hermione asked with a smile.

"It is for being who you are, simple as that," Severus explained before kissing her again, with more passion this time. Hermione softly moaned against his lips, and, without even realizing it, her book fell at her feet, while she surrounded Severus' neck with her arms.

It was curious to notice that, even after all this time, she was still aroused by the simple presence of Severus' presence close to her. Her whole body was reacting to Severus' caresses, to his kisses, to the groans that he let out from time to time when his arousal was hard to hide.

Hermione's eyes were closed since a long time when Severus got her laying on her back, but she opened them when his mouth left hers, and when she felt his lips drawing a new path from her neck to her cleavage, his chin rested against her breasts covered by her dress and her bra.

"Severus...," she moaned when she noticed that her bra was a memory now, and so was her dress. "I already told you that it isn't fair to use magic during... _Ohhh_!"

She totally lost the course of her thoughts when Severus took her right nipple into his mouth, gently sucking on it like it was a sweet. Sometimes, he bite her soft skin, making her whole body shiver, eliciting sensual moans from Hermione. She was as weak as a doll between his strong hands, and all that she wanted at that moment, was to feel him, in every possible way.

"Your skin tastes so good...," she heard Severus mutter before moving from her right nipple to her left one.

Hermione had never been a girl who could have an orgasm just because of some kisses on her breast. Severus knew it, but he didn't let her slide her hand into her panties when she tried, a smirk on his face.

"I am the only one who can bring you to your orgasm tonight, Hermione, don't you dare try to pleasure yourself in front of me," he explained slowly before bending over to bite the soft skin of her stomach.

"Then what are you waiting for?," Hermione asked in a breath, and Severus' hand slid slowly into her white panties, which were already wet, to his great pleasure.

"You seem to be eager to welcome my cock into your wet pussy, don't you, Hermione?," he breathed, his head just a few inches from her core.

"To be honest," Hermione managed to say, "I wouldn't say no to your mouth right now..."

They were used to talk to each other with no shame during their lovemaking. At first, Hermione had been intimidated; not that Severus had been her first, but she hadn't talked like that to one of her previous sexual partners. Severus had been the one to introduce her to this kind of things, and it had taken her some time to be comfortable with it.

With a smirk, Severus lowered his head and put Hermione's panties aside. Usually, he removed them, but he didn't want to waste any time at this moment. When Hermione felt his hot breath on her clitoris, she thought that she would die from pleasure and be reborn right after that. Surprisingly, it didn't happen, and she was just able to moan and move on the sofa, urging Severus to take her into his mouth.

"Little bossy thing, are you?," he asked, before giving a single stroke at her clitoris with his tongue, eliciting a long moan from Hermione who arched her back at the unbelievable sensation. But then, nothing more. Severus totally stopped licking her, and Hermione frowned.

"What are you doing?," she asked him, raising herself onto her elbows to meet his eyes full of lust.

"Beg for it, Hermione."

"You're such a monster...," she said, one eyebrow raised. "But I'm sure that you will not be able to wait much longer in this position, your face between my legs, without even tasting what is yours..."

Severus' obsidian eyes darkened, and he let his thumb drift next to her shaved pussy.

"What is _mine_?," he echoed her, totally turned by her raw words.

"It's yours, Severus. You just have to claim it, I don't have to beg. _Claim me,_" Hermione added in a whisper.

She didn't have to say it twice. A second later, Severus was feasting on her dripping core, licking her as if she was the best ice-cream that he ever ate, pushing a single slender finger into her from time to time. Hermione moans rejoiced Severus' ones, and she buried her hand into his long black hair, urging him to go faster with his tongue. Hermione wasn't fond of the only simulation of her clitoris; she wanted everything. She loved the sensation of being eaten by the eager mouth of her lover, she loved to feel him everywhere.

Suddenly, Severus felt Hermione's walls gently squeezed his finger, and he knew that she was close. Then, he licked her gently, with long strokes of his tongue, bringing her to the edge. After a second of silent, Hermione moaned loudly, arching her back, both of her hands buried into Severus' hair. She let go of him a few seconds later, when she finally calmed down.

Severus crawled up on her body and their lips entered in contact, letting her the occasion to taste her. Hermione felt that Severus was now naked against her, and she shook her head. "I already told you..."

"I cannot wait to be inside you," he cut her off before taking his hard cock in his right hand and pushing her panties aside again. He entered her in a single movement, helped by the wetness of her pussy, and they both let out a groan when Severus began his thrusts into her core. Hermione surrounded Severus' hips with her legs and she kissed him urgently, biting his lower lip from time to time.

"It feels so good...," she whispered, her eyes closed to feel his hard shaft thrusting into her without restraint. She felt his cock growing into her, and wondered how far he could go.

Suddenly, he withdrew from her warm cavity, leaving her empty and frustrated.

"Turn around," he whispered while stroking his cock at the same time.

Hermione did as he said and get on her hands and knees, waiting for him to come back again. She heard him chanted some spell, and she knew exactly what it was. She wanted to turn around to talk to him, but when she was about to do so, she felt his hard shaft sliding slowly into her, taking her by surprise. Her mouth open, she let him take the lead and when Severus put his hands on her shoulders, she knew that things were about to become harder.

"You like that, don't you, Hermione? You like feeling me behind you, taking you in such a hard way...," Severus hissed, before letting out a groan of pleasure.

Hermione didn't answer, totally focused on the pleasure that was slowly building into her lower belly. Severus didn't seem pleased by this lack of reaction, and one of his hand tangled into her hazel hair, gently pulling her head back.

"Answer me, witch," he insisted. "Do you like to know that it's my cock inside you, my cock that is giving you so much pleasure?"

"Ye... yes...," Hermione stammered, even if she didn't understand a single word of what he said, totally lost into her own lust. Severus continued to thrust into her at a brilliant pace, and suddenly, he let go of her hair to put both of his hands on her hips.

"Brace yourself," he warned her quickly before speeding up his pace, thrusting into her pussy harder than ever. Hermione let out a cry when she felt Severus' balls caressing her clitoris at each thrust, and she had to hang on the arm of the sofa not to fall on her elbows. This way, her back was almost touching Severus' chest, and he took advantage of it to wildly kiss her neck several times.

"I'm coming...," he breathed next to her ear, and Hermione instinctively clenched her inner walls around Severus' cock, triggering Severus' orgasm and her own at the same time. They both erupted in incoherent moans and words, and Hermione let her fall onto the sofa, tired by their impromptu lovemaking.

Severus fell onto her back, without even taking care not to crush her. But Hermione didn't mind; she was slowly recovering from the moment of passion that they just shared, and she could feel her soaked panties against her core. She sighed, and Severus kissed her neck.

"What is going on?"

"It seems that I've just ruined my panties...," she explained playfully.

"It is not the first time, and far from being the last," he added in a laugh.

Hermione's heart was beating slower and slower, finally regaining its normal pace. All of the sudden, Severus got up and put his boxers back, giving Hermione some space to turn around in order to see him.

"Severus?," she asked in a shy voice.

"Yes?"

"Why did you cast a contraceptive spell earlier? You know that I take the contraceptive potions that you brew for me..."

Hermione saw him freeze, and he took his robe in his right hand, not taking care to put it back. He finally turned to meet her eyes, and he bent over to give her a little kiss.

"Better be safe than sorry, don't you think?," he said in a whisper, before heading for the library door. "I shall wait for you in our bedroom, don't be too long."

With that said, he closed the door behind him, leaving Hermione alone, lost in her thoughts.

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_If you like it, I'll post part 2 tomorrow, so feel free to leave me a word to let me know what you think of it!_


	2. Part II

_And here is the last part of this story... Thank you for all of your reviews, I think that I answered to all of them, except the ones from the Guests. So, thank you Guests! :D  
_

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**To Build a Home**

**2/4**

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"You may now kiss the bride."

The whole garden, full of people, exploded in hearty applause when Harry's lips met Ginny's. The young married couple smiled at their friends, and at the Weasley's family. Molly's eyes were wet, and she was using a handkerchief to wipe her tears of joy, her hand squeezing Arthur's one.

"I told you that Ginny would be the third Weasley to have a ring on her finger," George said playfully to Charlie, his hand out. "Now, you owe me ten Galleons, brother."

"I would never have bet on Ron," the Dragon Tamer mumbled, giving ten Galleons to his brother who had a big grin.

From where she stood, right behind Ginny, Hermione searched for Severus' eyes. He was seated on the third bench, next to Neville Longbottom, and, even if he'd never been that pleased to go to a party, he seemed to be genuinely happy for Harry and Ginny. She saw him applause, and he even had a little smile on his lips. When she met his gaze, she smiled back at him, relieved to notice that he seemed to have a good time after all.

Hermione was Ginny's bridesmaid, and it was a pleasure for her to fulfil this role; Ginny was one of her closest friends, along with Ron and Harry, and Hermione was proud to be a part of this wedding, not only a spectator. Of course, Ron was Harry's witness, and here they were, the Golden Trio and Ginny Weasley – or, more exactly, Ginny _Potter_ -, reunited twelve years after the awful events that had occurred in the Wizarding World. They had fought together back then, and now, they were celebrating together. Life was good after all.

**XxX**

"Damn, I ate so much, I can't even fit in my dress any longer," Hermione sighed before sipping some wine.

Severus put a gentle hand over her knee, touching the silky fabric of her long dress.

"You are perfect the way you are, Hermione," he complimented her before bending over to give her a chaste kiss. Severus wasn't really a demonstrative man, and Hermione was used to wait to be alone with him to have some signs of affection from him.

"Uggh, get a room you two," Ginny laughed, while approaching them. "Harry and I are going to have our first dance, so be ready to get up and dance in a few minutes," she finished with a wink before returning to her husband.

"I do not plan to dance tonight," Severus mumbled, and Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really, Mister Snape? What should I do, then? Find some mystery man and dance with him?," she asked in a sensual voice.

"I would not dare do such a thing, if I were you," he said in a low voice, his hand still caressing her skin over the silk of her dress.

"Why not?," Hermione whispered.

"Because you are _mine_."

"Then dance with me," she said in a calm voice.

The music just started, and Ginny and Harry were dancing in the middle of the dance floor, staring at each other as if they were totally oblivious to the guests who were looking at them, a smile of joy over their faces. Severus left Hermione's gaze for a second to look at the happy married couple, and looked back at his lover.

"If I must...," he drawled. "But you have to know that I am a terrible dancer, Hermione."

"I don't care. I just want to be in your arms tonight."

Severus sighed, but Hermione knew that he was happy to share a moment like this with her; he was just too proud to admit it. A few minutes later, he stood up and gave her his hand. She took it slowly, and went to the dance floor with him, taking care not to fall with her heels and her long dress.

"I told Ginny that these heels weren't a good idea," she muttered when Severus took her in his arms, and began to dance with her.

Hermione's face was next to his neck, and she heard him laugh.

"At least, you don't have to put yourself on your tiptoes to dance with me," he whispered next to her ear.

Other couples had reached the dance floor, and Severus and Hermione were now surrounded by them. Hermione closed her eyes and tried to give a pace to their dance, but Severus seemed to want to be in charge.

"Well, I have the impression that you're a good dancer, after all," Hermione purred when Severus' hands went down her back.

"I am afraid that your opinion about me is biased, my dear."

Hermione smiled in Severus' neck, and she held him a little tighter. Being in his arms had always been one of her favourite things; feeling his whole body against hers, feeling his breath on her hair, perceiving his gentle caresses on her lower back... Everything about Severus was driving her crazy, even after six years spent with him. She had the impression that she was falling in love with him a little more every day. How could it be possible? She had always thought that the first months were the best in a relationship, and she couldn't have been more wrong. Severus was more and more perfect every blessed day.

"Severus...," she muttered in his neck, not daring to meet his obsidian eyes; she didn't want to be distracted.

"I am listening to you," he said before kissing her forehead.

"What are we waiting for?"

"Excuse me?"

Hermione understood that he had no idea of what her point was. She breathed slowly, and tried again, dancing at the same time. It was a good thing that the music wasn't louder; she didn't want to yell to be heard.

"You know... I was thinking that it could be us in the future. We could get married too, we could have children, and...," she stopped. "I think that Molly's right, it's been six years that we are together, and I'm ready to go further. With you," she concluded in a breath next to Severus' ear.

Severus didn't answer; he seemed to be tense against her, his whole body seemed to have turned in ice. However, he continued to dance with her, but Hermione noticed that his movements were becoming erratics, as if he wasn't concentrated in them any more.

Hermione waited for him to answer, to say something, but Severus seemed to be mute.

"Say something...," she tried, while the music was fading away. The couples around them started to return to their place, but some stayed, waiting for another song.

"Hermione...," Severus finally said, "this is not the good place nor the good moment to talk about something that important. And to be honest, I don't think that I want to talk about such a thing in the near future. This is not who _I am_."

He had emphasized the "_I am_", and Hermione took a step back, getting free from his embrace. She didn't know what to say; she didn't know what to do. She just nodded dumbly, and headed for her seat, not waiting for Severus to follow her. But she wasn't surprised either when he slipped on the seat next to her, and put his hand onto her own hand.

"Please, do not be mad at me," he sighed. "I have my reasons, but, as I said, I am not eager to talk about it _right now_."

"So, you already changed your mind?," Hermione snapped back bitterly. "A second ago, you didn't want to talk about it in the near future, and now you just don't want to talk about it right now? Enlighten me, Severus," she added with a disenchanted smile.

"Hermione, it is your best friend's wedding, try not to ruin it...," Severus tried to calm her down.

They stared at each other for several seconds, and Hermione stood up quickly, taking the almost full bottle of wine that was on the table with her.

"Where are you going?," Severus asked quickly when Hermione turned around to leave.

"I need some fresh air. And please, don't follow me, Severus. I mean it," she added without a glance at him.

**XxX**

Molly Weasley hadn't been thrilled when she had learned that Ginny and Harry had booked a Manor for their wedding. She had wanted to do it at the Burrow, but the couple insisted; they wanted to have some place to put their guests up, and a Manor was the best idea; the Burrow was way to small to welcome everybody.

Hermione walked on the fresh grass of the garden, and was relieved to finally breathe normally. Being that close to Severus when he had said these things to her had been hard to live, and being alone was the only solution that she had found. Suddenly, she removed her shoes, tired of wearing them, and let out a sigh when her bare feet met the coldness of the grass.

The garden was beautiful; it was lit with a hundred of candles, a thousand even, and there were flowers everywhere. Her shoes in one hand, and the bottle of wine in another, Hermione went to sit on a bench out of sight that she had noticed earlier, during the wedding preparations. There, she took the wine and started to drink from the bottle. She wasn't used to drink that much, to be honest, she was one of these persons who drank a glass of butterbeer once a year. But now, she needed it. And, after all, it was a party, wasn't it?

"And you celebrate it on your own, Hermione," she whispered to herself before drinking again.

She had talked about this problem to Severus, in all honesty; several times. And every time, Severus had ditched the discussion, saying that he had work to do, arguing that it wasn't the moment for this type of discussion... And every damn time, Hermione had accepted these reasons; every time, she had nodded, she had tried to think about something else, something cheerful. But they were together for six years now, they were living together, and even now, Severus was reluctant to build a family with her.

Of course, she took his damn contraceptive potion every day; she didn't want to trick him in some pregnancy that he obviously didn't want. Actually, she had even drunk one potion the same morning, because she knew that she would have forgotten tonight, because of the wedding.

Hermione let out a bitter laugh, and noticed that the bottle of wine was almost empty.

"Merlin, I didn't know that I was such a binge drinker," she said to herself before laughing again.

A few minutes passed, and her laughs were slowly replaced by sobs. Her life was so miserable, she thought. She had a boyfriend who didn't want to commit to her, who didn't want to give her the child that she was craving for since so long, and who didn't even want to talk about it with her. She wiped her eyes, not taking care of her make-up, and slowly rose from the bench, before putting her shoes back. Some cheers were heard in the Manor, and Hermione followed them.

**XxX**

"Where were you?," Severus asked when she came back, looking truly worried.

"I was... thinking," she said without looking at him, putting the empty bottle back on the table.

Severus' gaze went from Hermione to the bottle, and he cursed through clenched teeth. "Do not tell me that you drank all of it alone, Hermione..."

"Why are you asking? Would you prefer to know that I shared this bottle with a man who wants to give me what you don't?," she asked, clearly drunk.

"I am going to pretend that I did not hear you saying that," he mumbled. "Come on, Hermione, you need to get some rest, you do not seem like your normal self."

He took her by her arm, and she tried to get away from him.

"Leave me alone, Severus!," she shouted, and some guests looked at them, curious to know what was happening.

"You are not going to make a scandal in the middle of your friends' wedding, are you? Come with me."

Eventually, Hermione get rid of Severus' embrace, and she took her wand in her right hand.

"A scandal, Severus? What do you think of that?," she began, and amplified her voice with her wand.

"Hi everyone, I'm Hermione. Hermione _Granger_," she began, and everybody turned their attention on her. She smiled weakly at them, and she moved away from Severus, not wanting him to interrupt her. "I just want to say a w-word. I would have raise my glass, but I'm afraid that I already drank all the b-bottle, so...," she stammered in a laugh. "I am so happy to see my best friends getting married, you don't know how happy I am for both of you, Harry and Ginny. You went through so many things together, and you're an amazing couple, you really are."

Harry and Ginny smiled at her from afar, and Hermione continued her speech. "You guys have everything that I've ever wanted; you're in love, you trust each other so much that you were ready to take this big step. And I'm pretty sure that... that you're going to have a bunch of little Potters soon, aren't y-you?"

The whole room exploded in cheers, and Hermione gave a side glance at Severus. She noticed that he was far from pleased from the situation, but he didn't dare stop her. _That_ would be the scandal.

"Anyway...," she continued, her voice lower than ever. "I guess that I don't have the same luck that you two have. Oh, I mean, the same luck that all of you have," she said, with a glance at the audience. "Almost all of you are married, or have children, and... I guess that I'm the only one who doesn't."

"You're not alone, Hermione!," George shouted with a wink at her.

"Oh right, I forgot you, George," Hermione laughed. "But you see, my situation is different. I'm with som... someone who doesn't want to build a family with me. What a pity, eh?," she said in a sob. "I tried, and he still doesn't want to..."

"Hermione, stop...," Severus said, taking a few steps towards her.

"What is your problem, Severus?," Hermione shouted. "Don't you want everybody to know how selfish you are, how..."

"You are making a fool of yourself," he hissed. "You are drunk as hell."

"And why do you care? I'm just..."

"Enough with this foolery," Severus said quickly, raising his wand to lower her voice. He took her wand at the same time, before taking her into his arms and Disappeared.

**XxX**

When her feet touched the ground, Hermione had to lean against Severus' warm body not to fall.

"Oh, my head...," she mumbled, and Severus helped her to sit on the bed. She covered her eyes with her hand to avoid the source of light, and she lay down on the bed, noticing that it wasn't her own bed.

"Where are we?," she whispered, while Severus took place next to her.

"In the room that Potter prepared for us. We are still in the Manor," he explained icily.

Hermione nodded, her mind still in a blur. "I can't even... think properly...," she managed to say, and Severus got up from the bed, heading for the suitcase that he had prepared for the week-end.

"What are you doing?," Hermione asked, raising on her elbows to see him better.

Severus didn't answer, but he came back next to her a second later, a phial of potion into his right hand. Hermione shook her head, a painful expression over her face.

"I already took my contraceptive potion this morning, Severus, I don't..."

"It will help you to sober up. Drink it," he just said, not paying attention to what she just said.

Hermione seemed to be cautious, but she drank the horrid liquid before giving Severus the phial back. The potion took some minutes to affect her organism, but eventually, she felt better. And, all of a sudden, she remembered every single word of what she had said earlier during Harry and Ginny's wedding. She sighed of despair, taking a pillow to hide her face.

"Merlin, they must hate me...," she muttered, her voice smothered by the huge pillow. When she let out of the pillow, she looked at Severus, an undecipherable expression all over her face. "_You_ must hate me...," she concluded in a whisper.

Severus shook his head, but Hermione noticed that he was still tense. "I don't hate you, Hermione. You were not yourself, I understand."

"I wouldn't have said something like that in front of so many people on purpose, of course, but... You have to understand that I meant every word, Severus."

A silence settled in the huge room, and Hermione wondered if it was the end of their relationship. It wasn't what she wanted, but what if nothing changed between them? Could she accept the fact of living with Severus like this for all her life?

"I know," he simply answered. "And I know that you must think that I don't love you enough, but it is far from the truth. _I love you_, Hermione. I don't say it often, but I mean it. If it seems to you that I am distant when it comes to things like engagement or children, it is for a reason. It is not against you."

"Why don't you explain it to me then?," she asked, totally sober now. She wanted to know, and she had the impression that Severus was ready to talk to her.

Severus got up from the bed, and began to pace the room. His hands were onto his back, like when he was a Hogwart's professor. Suddenly, he stopped, and settle down between Hermione's legs, his knees bent.

"I did not have an easy childhood, Hermione," he began, taking hers hands in his. "My father... well, I cannot say that he was the best father ever. He and my mother constantly argued over me, and I guess that I was not the child that they wanted to have."

Hermione shook her head, but didn't utter a word; she didn't want to disturb him.

"They were miserable together; I often wondered why they had married each other in the first place. They were not a good match, not at all; there were so many differences between them. I am not sure how to explain it, but when I think of these days in this house, with two people not in love with each other, I know for sure that I don't want to live the same thing over again."

Hermione squeezed Severus's hands in hers, and looked at his face. He seemed to be lost in his memories, and she understood that his chilhood was something that prevented him from having a family on his own.

"You are nothing like your father, Severus," she said slowly. "You are a caring, a gentle man, someone who is loved, and who can love back. I don't know the whole story about your parents, but you have to trust me: I love you, and it changes everything. Love can change everything," she repeated in a whisper.

Severus lowered his head a little, and put a kiss on Hermione's joined hands.

"But love can change into something else too," he said. "One day, you could wake up, and notice how old I am, how different from you I am. One day, you could regret what you once thought was amazing..."

Hermione had a little laugh. "Do you have so little faith in me? I loved you for six years, I love you now, and I plan to love you for many years to come. Don't you see? We share a house together, but it's far from a _home_. I want a home with you, a place where we could spend the rest of our days together, a place where we could raise our amazing children. Oh!," she added when she saw his smile, "I'm sure that they are going to be amazing. They'll be a part of us, there is no reason they shouldn't be."

Slowly, Severus nodded, and Hermione knew that she had managed to make him change his mind, at least a little.

"You really want this, don't you?," he asked intensely, looking up at her.

Hermione bent over and kissed him.

"Yes, I want to have a family with you. But I'm not going to be urgent about it anymore; I understand that you need time, and we'll do it once you'll be ready," she reassured him with a smile. "Just let me know when you're ready, okay?"

"Of course, I shall come back home one day, with a sign over my chest saying "_I am ready_"", he said, deadpan.

Both of them eventually laughed, and, without even noticing, they were laying on the bed seconds later, kissing and cuddling.

"This dress will be a mess if you don't take it off...," Severus muttered against Hermione's lips, his hands caressing her back.

"Why don't you take it off yourself?," Hermione suggested playfully.

"You do not have to say it twice..."

Severus muttered a spell against her lips, and Hermione was naked the second later.

"I already told you...," she began, her body pressed between Severus' naked body.

"_No magic_, I know," he interrupted her before laying on his back, Hermione seated above him, her legs on each side of his body.

The young woman could feel Severus' erection between her legs, and with a sigh, she took it in her hand and gently caressed it. Severus shivered under her, his eyes focused on Hermione's breast, torn between the need to be inside her and the desire to touch her. But when Hermione get off his hips and took his hard cock into her amazing lips, he lost his self-control. He began to moan, delighted to feel her warm cavity around his swollen shaft, kissing it, swallowing it, licking it. Hermione had always been brilliant with her mouth, from the very beginning. She seemed to understand every of his needs, and always put his own desires first during these sweet moments. Of course, Severus always made up to her after, but it was something indescreptible to feel her sucking his cock with such eagerness.

"Please, you are killing me...," he whispered, his right hand playing into her curly hair.

She let his cock slide from her mouth, and looked up at him.

"Don't you like it?," she asked, short of breath.

"I _adore_ it," he corrected her. "But I want to feel your sweet pussy clenched around me, I want you to ride me, _now_."

Hermione crawled back onto Severus' body, and when her dripping core was aligned with his thick cock, she sank slowly on it; really slowly. Severus put his hands on her hips, urging her to go deeper, but she shook her head.

"I'm in charge tonight, Severus. Don't make a move, or you'll regret it," she purred, before putting his hands back on the bed.

Severus growled, but tried to calm himself. He could feel how wet Hermione was, even if he hadn't done anything to put her in this state. She was just aroused by the whole situation, she loved to feel powerful in bed. And from time to time, Severus was loving it too. Hermione was so desirable that he could have done everything that she wanted him to do.

She bent over and gave him a sensual kiss, playing with his tongue during long seconds, and, at the last expected moment, she sank onto his hard cock, making them moan into each other's mouth. At first, she didn't move, letting her whole body recovered from this unexpected intrusion. But then, she took Severus hands in hers and started to move upon him, in such a way that her clitoris was stimulated by Severus' pelvis.

"Oh my god, I like that...," she moaned, her head back. Severus was fighting hard to not put his hands on her hips and give another pace to their lovemaking. He wanted her to ride him, to swallow his hard cock with her pussy, but she was doing exactly the contrary.

"Hermione...," he tried, gently caressing her thighs. She looked back at him, her mouth partly open, and she smiled perversely.

"What's wrong, Severus?"

"I want you to ride me, _please_..."

"It's exactly what I'm doing right now," she purred, putting her hands onto his chest.

"No. You are masturbating over me," Severus corrected with a smirk.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"What do you want me to do? What do you want to _feel_?"

Severus continued to caress her thighs before answering.

"I want to feel you sink on my cock...," he murmured. "I want to feel your thigh pussy around me, gently caressing me, squeezing me, until I cannot hold it anymore. And then...," he added slowly, "I want to come inside you, to fill you with my hot seed. Do you think that you can handle it, Hermione?"

Hermione bit her lower lip, totally aroused by Severus' words, and she nodded. Then, she began to straddle him the way he wanted her to, pushing onto his chest to help her in her movements. It didn't take long for their movements to become erratics; suddenly Severus put his large hands on Hermione's hips and pushed into her pussy, making her moan louder than before. He continued to piston her like there was no tomorrow, his eyes focused on the face of the woman who he loved so much.

"Are you close?," he asked in a breath when he felt that she wasn't even trying to move upon him, letting him make all the job.

She just moaned in return, and Severus moved them, pinning her against the bed, opening her legs to penetrate her even further.

"Oh my god, Hermione, I can feel you around my cock, I can feel everything...," he breathed against her ear, while Hermione was kissing and biting his neck.

"Let me make you come," Severus whispered, slidding a hand between their bodies and reaching for her clitoris. The second his fingers found this little nub of flesh, Hermione's inner walls squeezed Severus' hard shaft, and he emptied himself into his lover's core, with a long groan.

They layed in the bed for a long time, caressing each other's arms, kissing from time to time.

"You make me happy, Severus," Hermione finally said, breaking the silence of the room.

"And you are the best thing that ever happened in my whole life, my love...," he retorted, tightening his embrace around her body.

"We are going to have a family," Hermione stated, a smile on her face.

"We are. You have my word," Severus answered, before giving her a kiss full of promise.

* * *

_**The End**_

* * *

_I thought about a sequel... Well, not really a sequel, but an epilogue. Do you think that it's a good idea? Well, until I've got your opinions on it, this story is over. _

_Thank you for reading it! I hope that you liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)  
_


	3. Part III

_My, My... I'm truly stunned by your reaction to this story! Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story and who asked for an epilogue! You are all awesome. _

_Well, I wanted to write a third chapter, but it turns out that I wrote two more chapters. So here it is, the first part of the epilogue as a gift for all of your amazing reviews. :) _

* * *

**To Build a Home**

**3/4**

* * *

"Hermione, are you okay?," Severus whispered next to her ear.

She nodded frantically, and put her hand on his arm to reassure him. "I'm perfectly fine, Severus."

They were at the Burrow, and Ron and Lavender had just announced that they were expecting a girl. Molly was over the moon, visibly relieved to have a granddaughter.

"I raised so many boys, dear...," she sighed while taking Lavender in her arms. "I can't wait to take care of this amazing little girl."

"Thanks, Mom," Ginny said, rolling her eyes, while her brother was laughing.

Severus took Hermione's hand into his, and put a kiss on her soft skin. Hermione hadn't said a word since Lavender's revelation, and he was worried about this reaction; two months ago, during Harry and Ginny's wedding, he had understood how important it was for her to have a family. And since then, he couldn't help but see how distracted she was during their visits at the Burrow. The first weeks, Severus had asked her if it wouldn't be a better idea to keep their distances from the two happy couples, but Hermione had been opposed to this idea; they were her friends, and she didn't want to miss a single moment during these happy times.

Hermione felt Severus' insistent gaze on her, and she looked up at him, smiling. "What is going on?," she asked.

"Nothing...," Severus drawled. "I just want to be sure that everything is okay."

"Everything is perfectly fine," Hermione said again. "You are worrying too much."

"I never worry too much when it comes to you."

"And yet, it is exactly what you're doing right now," Hermione retorted while raising her chin to kiss him.

Oblivious to what was happening around them, Hermione growled against his lips and pulled him close against him on the sofa. Their tongues met, and Severus had to put her hand on Hermione's arm to calm her down.

"What are you doing?," she asked in a breath, her eyes focused on his lips.

"What _were_ _you_ doing?," Severus repeated with a smirk. "We are in the middle of the living room, if you allow me to precise it. I know that you want to become pregnant, but...," he began in a whisper, not wanting to bring the attention on them.

"It's my fertile period," Hermione cut him off with bright eyes, as if it was the answer to her behaviour. Severus raised his eyebrows.

"And what am I supposed to do? Shag you in front of your friends?"

"Don't be silly," she said, caressing his thigh at the same time, before bending over to murmur something next to his ear. "I'm not asking you to do it here, but I'm sure that we can easily find a place somewhere in the house to do it..."

Severus found it hard to stay calm and steady whith Hermione nibbling his ear playfully. His obsidian eyes wandered in the room, but he noticed that nobody was looking at them. Hermione's hand was close to his crotch, and he couldn't retain a moan of pleasure.

"Stop, Hermione, you are killing me...," he whispered, but Hermione didn't seem to hear him. Or at least, she acted like she didn't. But when Severus thought that he was about to lose it, Hermione removed her hand from his black robe and stopped her languish kisses next to his ear. When she looked up at him, her eyes were full of lust.

"I'm going to the bathroom... Don't be too long," she muttered before heading to the stairs.

Severus stayed a few seconds on the couch, his eyes turned to Lavender and Ron. Harry and Ginny were next to them, and Molly was out of sight. But a noise from the kitchen was enough for him to understand that she was making some tea or coffee.

Without a sound, Severus got up and headed for the stairs, following the perfume of the lustful woman who wanted to make him go nuts. Hermione hadn't changed her perfume for years, and Severus loved this one; this honey smell was perfect. When he arrived in front of the bathroom, Severus thought for a second to knock. But he didn't want to make her wait a minute longer; he sneaked into the bathroom, and quickly closed the door behind him, casting a non-verbal spell to soundproof the room at the same time.

A second later, Hermione's hands were on him, and he kissed her eagerly, his tongue searching hers while she was trying to remove his robe, playing with the buttons in the front.

"Why so many buttons...," she complained in a whisper.

Severus smiled against her mouth, and quickly removed his robe, before doing the same with her blue dress. Hermione didn't wait any time, and Severus felt her hand sliding into his boxers, searching for his hard shaft. When she took it in her hand, she couldn't retain a victorious smile.

"Little minx...," Severus growled before pushing her back against the sink, eliciting a moan of surprise from Hermione.

Severus growled again when Hermione let go of her cock, but he quickly focused his attention on something else. Without losing any time, he took her into his arms and helped her to sit on the sink, deposing a billion of kisses on her bare neck while doing so.

"My panties...," Hermione whispered when Severus took place between her legs, putting her panties to one side.

"I cannot wait," he said quickly before thrusting into her core, his mouth bonded to hers to muffle the cry that she was about to make. His thrusts were slow, in order to let her adapt herself to his thick cock stocking her inner walls. Hermione hung on to Severus' neck and let him give a slow pace to their lovemaking.

She had wanted him since the prior night, but he had been busy to work on some new potions, unfortunately. Doing such a thing outside their house wasn't really common, and Hermione blushed at the thought that she was having sex in the Burrow, the place that she used to spend time in since she was twelve-year-old. But at the same time, it was highly arousing to know that she was doing something forbidden, with the man that she loved dearly.

"I can't...," Severus breathed before thrusting harder into her, forcing her to rest her elbows on both sides of the sink, bringing down the toothbrushes on the floor.

Hermione cried Severus' name, not able to keep all this desire for him inside.

"Do you like that, Hermione?," he suddenly asked her, before bending over to bite her lower lip. "Is that what you wanted when we were on this couch, surrounded by your friends?"

"Yes!," she shouted before clenching her inner walls around his cock, a sign of her abandonment to him, of her abandonment to her own pleasure. Severus followed her in her orgasm seconds later, slowing his pace to shoot his hot seed into her dripping core with a groan.

He gave her a kiss before trying to withdraw from her, but Hermione clenched her legs around his hips.

"We have to stay this way for some minutes, Severus, otherwise all of your seed will fall down," she explained, tongue-in-cheek.

"Don't be ridiculous...," Severus retorted, but he understood that Hermione wasn't joking.

"Please," she added before kissing him. Severus sighed, but he eventually stayed in this position, his half-hard cock buried into Hermione. "Doesn't it feel good?," she whispered, gyrating her hips against him, making Severus groan.

"_Too good_...," he answered, his eyes half-closed, and within minutes, he felt him growing again into the woman who was doing her best to make him come once again. "You will be the death of me, witch..."

"I plan to," she admitted with a smile, happy to see Severus' body respond in such an amazing way to hers. They were made for each other, and she had no doubt about it.

**XxX**

When, one week later, Hermione came back home around four o'clock, Severus frowned. She wasn't used to come home that early, and Severus left his personal laboratory located next the living room to meet her. She was livid, and Severus walked toward her.

"What is going on?," he asked in a worried voice, and Hermione shook her head.

"I don't know, I wasn't feeling well today, and I thought that it would be better to come home. Don't worry, I'm sure that it's because of something that I ate yesterday. I just need to rest...," she explained, and Severus helped her to sit on the couch while he did the same. Bus his frown didn't disappear, and he put his large hand on her forehead to see if she didn't have a fever.

"I already told you, Severus," Hermione sighed. "I'm fine. I just have this horrible nausea since this morning, and it's even worse now. If you could prepare me a potion, I'd gladly take it."

"Nausea, you said?," he asked, his eyebrow raised. "Hermione, are you sure..."

"I'm _not_ pregnant," she cut him off, but Severus noticed this little spark in Hermione's eyes, and he took his wand in his hand.

"I am going to cast a spell over your stomach. Nothing invasive, believe me. I know that you are saying that you are not pregnant, but we need to be sure, don't you think?" he said slowly, giving her some time to think about the perspective to be pregnant.

"I don't think that I'm pregnant," she said again, in a less confident voice this time. "It's something that a mother can feel, right? And _I don't feel anything_. I just feel sick," she said quickly.

Severus smiled at her, amused by her reaction.

"Are you scared, Miss Granger?," he asked in his deep baritone voice, caressing her stomach through her t-shirt at the same time.

Hermione pursed her lips. Was she scared of being pregnant? No, of course she wasn't. It was something that she wanted, something that both of them wanted. She couldn't possibly be scared of being pregnant, right?

"I am," she finally admitted. "I don't know why, but... It seems _real_ now."

"Actually, it's not real until I cast this spell," Severus corrected.

"That's the reason why I don't want you to do it," she said in a sarcastic voice.

"Let me do it, Hermione. Then, we will figure out," Severus pleaded, and Hermione realised that Severus was almost as scared as she was; it wasn't common to hear him beg for something, and it was a sign of his anxiety, as she had learned through the years.

"All right, go ahead," she eventually sighed, and she rolled up her shirt, giving Severus access to her bare stomach. His cold wand entered in contact with her warm skin, and Hermione shivered, closing her eyes at the same time.

And what if she was pregnant? Her whole world, their whole world would be turned upside down; nothing would ever be the same, she knew it. Her nights would be short, she would have these ugly shadows under her eyes. But she would have the family that she desired so much, she thought.

"_Hermione_?"

Severus' voice was soft, and Hermione knew when she heard his voice that he would be an amazing father. When she opened her eyes, she saw a yellow light around her stomach, and she couldn't help but frown.

"What does it mean?," she asked while turning her attention to Severus.

The latter was gazing intensely at her stomach, as if he was captivated. He looked up at her, and Hermione could see the tears that were forming into his dark eyes. A smile quickly replaced this sign of sadness, and Severus put his hand back onto her belly.

"It means that we are going to have a baby, Hermione."

* * *

_"A week later", really? ;) We'll see it in the last chapter (for real!) of this story! Don't hesitate to drop me a word or two, it always makes my day. :)  
_


	4. Part IV

_Damn, I struggled so much with this chapter that I even had the time to write 30 000 words of my other works since chapter 3. But well, here is the end!  
_

_Thank you for the wonderful reviews that you wrote for this story, they were much appreciated, as always. _

_And now, the end!_

* * *

**To Build a Home**

**4/4**

"You are not fat at all, Hermione...," Severus sighed for the umpteenth time, slightly annoyed by her constant complaints. He then turned his attention to his cauldron, wondering if she would stay here long.

"You are just saying that to get rid of me," the young woman accused him, pacing the laboratory at a slow rhythm, gently caressing her belly at the same time. "I am so fat that I can't even see my feet!"

Severus rolled his eyes before putting the last ingredient into the boiling potion. Then, he turned to face her.

She was beautiful. In fact, Severus thought, she was the most beautiful woman that he had ever had the occasion to put his eyes on during all his life. Her mane was now silky, tamed since a long time with a few spells and some Muggle tricks that she had heard of. Her chestnut eyes were shinning with joy; joy to be pregnant, of course, but it was more than that. Hermione seemed to be truly happy with everything that had happened into her life during the last few months.

But, while she was in the seventh month of her pregnancy, she couldn't help but see every defect about her. She had complained about the size of her belly, the fact that she couldn't do everything that she used to now, and now, it was about her weight.

"Come here," Severus said softly, and he noticed her hesitation. "Do not worry, I know that we have to go to the Burrow in an hour; I have no intention to ravish your virtue right now."

"Too bad," Hermione grinned while walking toward him.

Severus let her come closer, then he put his large hand on her hips, urging her to sit onto his lap.

"I don't think that your stool is going to like that...," she muttered but did what Severus wanted her to do eventually.

"Do not be silly."

Severus put his hand on her stomach, almost closing his eyes to feel everything that he could feel.

"She doesn't seem to want to move," Hermione warned him after some seconds, her hand around his shoulders to not fall.

"Stop saying "_her_"," Severus frowned, "we don't know if it is a _he_ or a _she_, as far as I am concerned."

"I feel it," she retorted, a smile on her lips. "I truly feel it, Severus."

"You want a girl, that is the reason why you _feel_ it. You are totally in love with Lola."

Hermione smiled again at the mention of Ron and Lavender's daughter.

"Isn't she beautiful? She is the most beautiful baby that I've ever seen."

"Our baby will be the most beautiful one," Severus said with a protective gesture over Hermione's belly.

"Sure, _she_ will be," Hermione admitted, not even trying to hide the amusement into her voice.

A silence settled into the laboratory, while Severus was still caressing Hermione's soft skin. He was truly fascinated by her belly; inside her, the life that they had created together was growing. How fascinating.

"I can't even get used to the idea that I am only seven months pregnant," he heard her say, and he couldn't disagree. She didn't seem to be seven months pregnant, far from it. Her skin was tensed over her stomach, and she had more and more difficulty to walk alone. "Two months to go...," she whispered slowly, and Severus gently kissed her forehead.

"If you don't want to go to the Burrow, it is okay. We still can go another day."

Hermione shook her head before standing up.

"No, it's fine, really. Moreover, it's a good thing to be with Lola, don't you think? It is a good training, it will help us for our own daughter."

Severus let out a sigh, but Hermione noticed the little smile that was on his lips.

"Our _baby_," he corrected once again. He just had a laugh in answer when she left the laboratory, and returned his attention to his potion.

**XxX**

Lola Molly Weasley was a beautiful two-month-old little girl. Of course, her hair was red, but not the same shade of red than her father; it was darker, even if Lavender was blonde herself.

Hermione didn't wait long to take her into her arms; Ginny had protested, saying that she wanted to take care of her niece too, but Hermione's begging look had made her yield.

Severus stood back, just looking at Hermione while she was rocking the little girl into her arms. She seemed to be made for this, as if she had waited for this moment during all her life. From time to time, Hermione looked at him, and Severus just smiled at her. In two months, he thought inwardly, it would be their baby into the young woman's arms. They would become a family, something that Severus had never had the occasion to know in the past. Her mother hadn't been the perfect mother, far from it, and his father... well, Severus wasn't sure that Tobias Snape even deserved this title.

But the Potions Master now knew that he would be different from Tobias Snape; Hermione had reassured him during weeks about it, and she had almost succeeded to make him believe that it was true. Even if he had doubted about his ability to take care of a child, Hermione had told him how great he would be. She trusted him, and it was more than enough for now. Once the baby would be born, everything would be drastically different, of course. But he would everything possible to be a good father.

"You look like me when I was about to give birth to Lola," Lavender suddenly said to Hermione while she took her daughter from Hermione's arms in order to feed her.

"Oh, really?," Hermione asked, an eyebrow raised. "I still have two months to go, though..."

"Are you sure? Is that what the Healer told you?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, he did. But I have to admit that I'm not really sure right now. I've got the impression that the baby really wants to make an apparition these last few days," she explained, forcing a laugh at the same time when she noticed Severus' dark expression. The last thing that she wanted was to scare him.

"Tell me what you're feeling," Lavender asked her, a reassuring smile on her face.

"I'm not sure... But it seemed that I've got some contractions since yesterday. Nothing serious," she quickly added when she saw Severus come closer, "they are really spaced out. I don't think that I'm going to be in labour soon, if you want to know everything."

"Mmh, don't be so sure of that. I had the same contractions two days before giving birth to Lola, and I too thought that it wasn't important. But then this little sweetheart decided to come into this world, even if it was a little bit early. Isn't it true, little darling?," she whispered at her daughter.

Hermione remained silent, her hands slowly caressing her belly. Severus was sitting next to her, and he put his hand over hers, silently asking her to look at him.

"Why didn't you tell me?," he asked in a whisper, not wanting to drag attention upon them.

"It's nothing, really... I don't want you to freak out, Severus, I know how you act sometimes..."

"And how do I act, pray tell?"

"You always overreact when it comes to me or the baby. I love you for that, don't take me wrong," she continued, squeezing his hand on hers, "but I don't want you to think that something is wrong. Everything is fine, really."

At this exact moment, the baby chose to kick, and Severus almost jumped, surprised to feel something under his palm.

"Well, someone wants to say hello to daddy," Hermione laughed, but she quickly moaned of pain, her eyes closed.

"What is going on?," Severus asked, worried by the young woman's attitude.

Hermione didn't answer right away, and one minute later, she managed to take a deep breath.

"I think that I've just had a contraction. _A real one_," she muttered slowly, fear into her eyes.

**XxX**

It's amazing to see how a single person can turn your world upside down. One minute, you are alone, and the minute after, you have someone next to you, someone into your arms, someone to take care of.

Hermione Jean Granger had wanted a baby for so long; someone to take care of. Someone to give all the love that she wanted, she needed to give. During six years, Severus had been the only one person in the world to have this privilege; the privilege to wake up next to her body, to have all of her attention at every moment of the day, to have these kisses full of love from her lips. From now on, he would need to share the woman that he loved with so much passion with another human being: their own child.

"I told you that we would have a daughter," Hermione said in a low voice not to wake the little baby who was currently into her arms.

Severus bent over to put a kiss on her forehead, before caressing the little fingers of his daughter.

"You did," he just said, amazed by this vision of pure bliss. "But you did not tell me that she would come so early in our lives."

"She didn't think that it was necessary to warn her mother, unfortunately," the young woman retorted, shrugging. "Do you want to take her into your arms?"

Severus stayed still for a moment, not knowing what to do. The little baby who was into Hermione's arms, with her little black hair was so intimidating. What if he took her in the wrong way? What if he hurt her? Hermione seemed to notice his embarrassment, because she put a reassuring hand on his forearm.

"Please, don't overthink the situation. She's your daughter, and I am sure that she is eager to know how comfortable her father's arms are."

Severus nodded, and slowly took her daughter from the young mother's arms. She seemed so small, so thin that he was almost afraid to harm her. At the most unexpected moment, her daughter opened her eyes, and Severus noticed that she had her mother's chestnut eyes: they were even a little lighter than Hermione's eyes, actually.

"She is beautiful," Severus whispered to himself, not taking his eyes off her. "But she does not have a name yet."

"I thought about some, actually," Hermione admitted, bitting her lower lip. "I'm not sure if you'll like it, though."

"What is your first choice?," he just asked while sitting at the edge of the hospital bed.

"To be honest, I just have her second name. It is quite obvious, if you want my opinion."

"Go on."

"_Eileen_."

Severus eventually lifted his eyes from the little baby and looked right at Hermione.

"Eileen?," he repeated slowly, and Hermione didn't understand right away if he was pissed or just surprised.

"Yes. I'm already named after my mother, so I thought about your mother. She was nothing like your father, Severus."

During these months of pregnancy, Hermione had wanted to learn more about Severus' parents, and he had opened himself to her. They had spent many nights talking about their respective pasts, and of course, Severus had had a lot more things to say about his past than Hermione, given his age.

"I know," he muttered, still thinking about it. To give his mother's name to his own daughter wasn't an easy decision to take. He looked at the little baby into his arms, and she looked at him as if she was waiting for him to take his decision. _Eileen_.

"And what about her first name?," he suddenly asked.

"Do you have any idea yourself?," Hermione asked him, caressing his back at the same time.

Severus continued to look at his daughter, waiting for a sign from her. She seemed to be so peaceful, so...

"_Serena_."

Hermione looked at her daughter, and a smile appeared on her face.

"_Serena Eileen Snape_. I like it."

They stayed in this position during long minutes, gazing at their daughter, the symbol of their love.

"We're three now," Hermione finally broke the silence, wiping the only tear of joy that was falling onto her cheek.

Severus smiled at her, before bending over to kiss her.

"We are so much more than that, my love."

"And what are we, then?," Hermione asked with amusement.

Severus looked back at Serena, his own daughter, the little one that he needed to protect and to give all his love to from now on.

"_We are a family_."

**The End**

* * *

_And here it is. I hope that you liked this little two-shots that soon became a four-chapters story. As a little side note, Hermione was really nine-month pregnant at the end. They conceived Serena during Harry and Ginny's wedding (**Bluefirefly5** and **Luna De Papel** were right ;) ), if you remember well. But the baby didn't develop the way she was supposed to, that's why the Healer thought that Hermione was just 7 months pregnant._

_Thank you for having read this story until the end!_


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